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Word Count: 1922

~Faye

Ultimately my first reaction is surprise.

This is my first kiss. Ever. It isn't what I thought it would be, in the moment. Never would I have thought it would be with Cal either, a Huntsman who gets paid under the table to take people's lives. Yet here I am, in this situation unable to think of anything else but the Huntsman.

His lips are soft, compared to his entire demeanour. His hands are gentle on my hips, not making any rough advancements. It's so odd, and yet, I'm not pulling away.

Completely entranced by the feel and taste of him, it is only until he himself pulls away, shocking me out of that.

My fingers unintentionally come up to my mouth. "What was that?"

"A kiss," Cal replies, his eyes gleaming.

I'm completely stunned as he wanders past me. I remain where I stand, blinking a few times, my mouth opening and closing as I struggle to gather my thoughts into words. When I turned, Cal is picking up his bow and quiver, slinging it over his shoulder. He smiles slightly, clearly finding my confusion amusing.

"Why?" I question, as he gathers his belongings from around the clearing area. He doesn't have much at all to own. What does he do with the money he earns? I'm too scared to ask.

"To thank you," he says smoothly, kicking dirt over the fire he had been feeding before I got here. "And I wanted to."

A blush seeps into my cheeks, my mind scrambling for a response. I'm not good at this kind of thing, and with someone who I'm supposed to trust. A kiss doesn't change how much a trust him, but it does stir up an odd feeling in my stomach I can't avoid.

"We should probably get back," Cal murmurs, a sly smile on his face as he brushes past me.

I follow his movements with my gaze, his intention clearly to head back to my estate. Only for a moment do I hesitate before I decide to follow him, and hopefully later, question him about the kiss.

***

The Alpha meeting is never enjoyable.

Something about having to meet with all the Alpha's and Luna's to talk about all the problems in the Pack Quarter doesn't strike me as incredibly interesting. And to be there with Kael, who always refuses to speak to me, to even look at me, the entire time. He wouldn't try anything hostile there with the other Alpha's around.

I came completely alone. No guards are suggested, since they are unnecessary with the amount of raw power that ends up in the room.

As I wander in, early as usual, I wonder who is going to come today.

Sometimes only the Luna's come, or some Alpha's don't even show up. It's stressed that they come, and many do so they can have their opinion in on some big decisions.

I push open the door, glad it's not just me and Kael in the room alone. Instead, it's Alden, the Alpha of Wisdom, who often shows up early, Mara, Luna of the Vengeance Pack, who comes alone now since her mate, Kaden, made a run for it. No one really knows the full story aside from Mara. No one asks either.

"Faye," Alden says warmly, "I'm glad you came."
I'm glad he's here, as I shoot him a smile, taking my seat. Mara glances up, smiling through a fringe of light hair, but says nothing. I'm not sure if she is just shy, or doesn't want to be here. Her job was forced on her, and with a child at home, I don't blame her for wishing herself elsewhere right now.

There has never been a single meeting that Alden has missed. He's not the kind of person to ever miss out on an inch of information, yet never supply any about himself. I may have only been Alpha for a year or two, but the entire time I've known him, he's kept himself a mystery.

A few others make their way in at their own pace.

Ren and Noah, Alpha's or Loyalty and Harmony show up next, discussing something that isn't my business. Alpha Malik of Love wander in at some point, followed by Rylan of Purity. Everyone as they come throws conversation around casually, all in good humour.

At some point, while I was discussing with Malik his mate, Aria, who I'm very fond of, everyone else files in, including Kael. When I glance up at him, he doesn't look at me.

I don't hate Kael, I just don't understand him. He's always been quiet - watching rather than speaking. He always stares through a woody brown fringe of hair that brushes his eyelashes. Isaiah, Alpha of Passion always excuses it as brooding.

The last to arrive, typically, is Lexia, the Luna of the Freedom Pack. Grayson, her mate and the Alpha never shows up to these, hating being pinned down to his one room for so long.

I don't blame him.

We speak for a while, going through each usual section, taking turns discussing current happenings in each Pack. After laying out strategies on how to deal with the Passion Pack's rebellion Isaiah, a subject I was dreading came up.

"Faye, I heard about a few assassins making their way into your territory from somewhere, threatening your life," Jasper, Alpha of Devotion mentions, those beautiful violet green eyes burning into mine. "Are you okay? Do you know who is behind it?"

I refuse to let my gaze wander to Kael. They don't know about it because it would bring an all out war. I've been meaning to speak to the Alpha of Discipline, to see why he's doing this, but it hasn't happened so far.

"I have it covered," I say firmly, hoping that would keep them out of it for now. They all trust me, so I would assume my word would be the end of it.

"Are you sure? I know a private investigator who I'm sure would be able to track their intentions," Jasper continues.

It's typical of Jasper to want to help. I'm glad I have a spell from a Gaze Reader that keeps the Phantom Wolf from reading my mind.

"Trust me, I have everything under control," I say smoothly. I can't help myself as my gaze flickers to Kael's holding his gaze for the first time in a long while. "A few assassins aren't going to get me. Everything they can do, I know about."

I hope Kael thinks about that. I hope he realises that his prized Silent is currently in my custody, locked away with no hope of achieving his mission. Not that he was going to in the first place.

That's the best part.

"I just want to be certain of who they are. Recently I had something very important stolen from me, that almost no one knows about. I want to know who did it, and I'm wondering if it is somehow tied to what is happening to you," Jasper says, his fists clenching slightly on the table.

Instantly my mind goes back to the book Tayten stole for T, that is now back in my custody. I keep that to myself, reminding myself to ask Jasper about what his important possession is, so perhaps I can return it to him.

Although, that would require telling him about T, and Tayten...

"Like Faye said, she has it under control, and I'm sure she will come to you about it when she has it figured out," Malik says, to which I am extremely grateful for. I'm sure he knows that, as I shoot him a look, smiling slightly.
Jasper lays it to rest, as prompted, and we continue with the meeting. When we break for lunch, I decide this is my best chance to strike.

I keep behind Kael, as he stays toward the back of the crowd, talking to Noah. With the Alpha of Harmony around, Kael can't refuse to speak to me. So, with a little confidence keeping my shoulders back, I tap on Kael's shoulder, excusing Noah in the middle of talking.

When I ask for Kael's time, he simply stares. Without Noah's input, all would have failed.

"Sure, I'll give you two some space to talk," Noah says warmly, stepping back.

As he walks away, Kael continues to only stare at me, not saying a word. I'll shank him myself if he decides he wants to give me the silent treatment.

"We need to talk about your attitude," I snap. "Everyone around here is going to figure out how much you hate me soon."

That's not really the problem, but it's a place to start.

Kael's dark eyebrows furrow as he folds his arms over his chest. There is no doubting he runs a prison palace filled with criminals and lawyers. By the looks of his chest and arms, it seems as if he fights the perpetrators himself. Of course, he fights with his own Silent's until they can take him down. T would have achieved that before to be eligible for the mission against me.

"Faye, I don't hate you," he says carefully, in that slightly rough around the edges accent.

"Don't act like you don't send Silent's out to kill me every month," I mutter lowly, in case one of the Alpha's decides they want to listen in to our conversation.

He sighs, shaking his head. "I don't send Silent's to kill you. I send them to kill your mother. Just like I did to your father."

That hits me right in the chest. "My father died of the same sickness my mother was, until I saved her life."

Kael raises his eyebrow. I had a feeling he had something to do with it, but I'm still hung up on what he said earlier.

"You don't want me dead? What about the last Silent you sent for me who snuck into my room with two knives? Had I not had my Guard, he would have killed me," I growl, trying to keep my voice level.

Kael seems confused for a moment.

"I haven't sent any Silent's to your Pack for months," he says slowly. "I've been dealing with my own problems. For once your mother's pure evil is the last thing on my mind."

My blood runs cold. "Are you lying?"

"Why would I lie? I'm from the Discipline Pack, Faye."

I can't breathe. So that means, T isn't a Silent...

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